Container assembly

ABSTRACT

A container assembly is provided. The container assembly includes a lid having a top surface; an adhesive member attached to the top surface; wherein the adhesive member comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein at least a portion of the bottom surface is attached to the lid, and at least a portion of the bottom surface comprises a covered sticky surface; and a body attached to the lid.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present Application for Patent claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/787,841 entitled “Container Assembly”, filed Mar. 15,2013, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

FIELD

Various features relate to container assemblies, and more particularly,to container assemblies having adhesive members for securely closing thecontainer assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Often times, hot food is available at the grocery store. It is placed ina container. After purchasing, an attempt is made to seal the containerso it retains heat and the food does not spill out. Current methods toseal the container, however, are not very effective. For example, thecashier may place a rubber band on the box and/or pull tape out of adispenser and tape the box shut in an attempt to make sure that thecontents do not spill while in transit. This becomes an extra step forthe already-busy cashier. Accordingly, new, easy methods of sealing thecontainer are needed.

FIGURES

The features, nature, and advantages of the present aspects may becomemore apparent from the detailed description set forth below when takenin conjunction with the drawings in which like reference charactersidentify correspondingly throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the container assemblyof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the container assembly ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of the container assembly of FIG. 4.

SUMMARY

A container assembly is provided. The container assembly includes a lidhaving a top surface; an adhesive member attached to the top surface;wherein the adhesive member comprises a top surface and a bottomsurface, wherein at least a portion of the bottom surface is attached tothe lid, and at least a portion of the bottom surface comprises acovered sticky surface; and a body attached to the lid. The lid can beremovably or fixedly attached to the body.

According to one aspect, at least a first portion of bottom adhesivemember surface comprises a sticky surface, and at least a second portionof the bottom adhesive member surface is integrally formed with the toplid surface. At least a first portion of bottom adhesive member surfacecomprises a sticky surface, and at least a second portion of the bottomadhesive member surface is attached to the top lid surface. The stickysurface of the bottom adhesive member extends outwardly from the top lidsurface and is covered with a removable material.

According to one aspect, the adhesive member comprises a length and awidth, wherein the length is greater than the width. The adhesive memberis attached to the lid in a length-wise fashion. The adhesive member iscomprised of paper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Definitions

“Container or “container assembly” refers to any type of device forholding objects, including a receptacle, a bin, a box, a carton, and acase.

“Covered sticky surface” refers to that portion of adhesive member 106that is covered by a material (as shown in FIG. 2). The material itselfis not “sticky.” The end user may simply peel it off to expose thesticky surface. The sticky surface is covered in order to prevent itfrom sticking to objects prior to use by end user.

“End user” preferably refers to one or more persons that use the endproduct, i.e., the container assembly of the present invention. Endusers may refer to cashiers/clerk or those who purchase food productsthat are placed in the containers of the present invention. “End user”may also refer to an entity such as a grocery store or restaurant thatsells prepared food. “End user” preferably does not refer to those thatmanufacture the container assembly itself.

Overview

In one embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. 1-5 a container assembly 100 isprovided. Container assembly 100 comprises a lid 102 and a body 104attached to lid 102. Preferably, lid 102 comprises a top surface 102 aand an adhesive member 106 attached to top surface 102 a of lid 102.Preferably, adhesive member 106 comprises a top adhesive member surface106 a and a bottom adhesive member surface 106 b, wherein at least aportion of the bottom adhesive member surface 106 b is attached to lid102, and at least a portion of bottom adhesive member surface 106 bcomprises a covered sticky surface.

Lid

In one embodiment, container assembly 100 comprises a lid 102. Lid 102comprises top lid surface 102 a and a bottom lid surface 102 b. Lid 102may be circular, rectangular/square, and/or any other shape. Forexample, if lid 102 is square-shaped or rectangular-shaped, it may bepermanently attached to one side of body 104. If lid 102 is circular,for example, it may not be permanently attached to body 104, i.e., itmay removably attached to body 104 via any mechanism known in the art,i.e., via a snap-fit closure or the like.

Preferably, adhesive member 106 (discussed further below) is attached tolid 102 during the process of manufacturing lid 102. In this manner,preferably, adhesive member 106 is attached to lid 102 and/or formedfrom lid 102 before container assembly 100 reaches the end user, i.e.,the grocery store of restaurant. In other embodiments, adhesive member106 is not attached to lid 102 prior to reaching the end user. Forexample, adhesive member 106 may be attached to lid 102 via a separatemanufacturing step, i.e., adhesive member 106 may be attached oncecontainer itself is assembled. Alternatively, the end user may attachadhesive member 106 to container.

Adhesive Member

In one embodiment, container assembly 100 comprises an adhesive member106 (referred to herein singularly and plurally as “106”). Preferably,adhesive member 106 comprises a top adhesive member surface 106 a and abottom adhesive member surface 106 b. Preferably, and as shown in FIG.2, at least a first portion of bottom adhesive member surface 106 b ofadhesive member 106 comprises a sticky surface, and at least a secondportion of bottom adhesive member surface 106 b of adhesive member 106is either integrally formed with top lid surface 102 a of lid 102,attached to top lid surface 102 a of lid 102, and/or formed from lid102. The portion of adhesive member 106 that comprises a sticky surfacepreferably projects out from a top adhesive member surface 102 a of lid102, akin to a flap. This sticky surface is preferably covered withmaterial until it is ready to use, for example, by an end user such ascashier. At that point, the material may be peeled off by the cashier toexpose the sticky surface. In other embodiments, adhesive member 106 maybe attached to, and/or integrally formed with, body 104 (i.e., a side ofbody 104). It is to be understood that each container assembly 100 maycomprise any number of adhesive members 106.

In one embodiment, adhesive member 106 comprises a length and a width.The length is preferably greater than the width. As shown in FIG. 3,adhesive member 106 is attached to lid 102 in a length-wise fashion. Asshown in FIG. 2, adhesive member 106 is folded/creased in the middle, orsubstantially in the middle. Preferably, adhesive member 106 ismanufactured that way. This allows, for example, the containerassemblies to stack properly and efficiently during the shippingprocess. Preferably, adhesive member 106 is comprised of, or consistsessentially of, paper. In this regard, adhesive member 106 is bettersuited to withstand heat if container assembly 100 is placed in themicrowave for reheating of food contained therein. In other embodiments,the length of adhesive member 106 is not greater than width and/oradhesive member 106 is not folded in middle or substantially in themiddle. In yet other embodiments, adhesive member 106 may not becomprised of paper, i.e., it may be comprised of plastic, or the like.In alternative embodiments, the adhesive member 106 may be comprised of,or consist essentially of, plastic or any other material known in theart.

Preferably, the end user does not have to attach adhesive member 106 tolid 102, as it is already attached during the manufacturing processand/or before it reaches the end user. As such, it is to be understoodthat container assembly 100 is provided to the end user with adhesivemember 106 already attached to, and/or integrally formed with, lid 102.As such, the end user does not have to attach adhesive member 106 to lid102. This eliminates a very time-consuming and tedious step at thecheck-out line of the grocery store.

Preferably, the shape of lid 102 dictates the number of adhesive members106 it is manufactured with. For example, and as shown in FIG. 4, if lid102 is circular, top surface 102 a of lid 102 may comprise two adhesivemembers 106, opposite each other. On the other hand, if lid 102 issquare/rectangular, that top surface 102 a of lid 102 may comprise asingle adhesive member 106. It is to be understood that lid 102 may bemanufactured with any number of adhesive members 106. Preferably,adhesive member 106 is attached to the portion of lid 102 that opens andcloses. It is to be understood that adhesive member 106 may be attachedto one or more sides of lid 102 and/or body 104.

Body

In one embodiment, container assembly 100 includes a body 104.Preferably, at least a portion of lid 102 is removably attached to body104. Body 104 may include a bottom, and one or more sides integrallyformed with one another. Body 104 may be any shape, i.e., circular orrectangular/square. Together, lid 102 and body 104 form a container.

According to one example, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, body 104 may include abottom 104 a and two opposing sidewalls 104 b and integrally connectedto two opposing end walls 104 c. Sidewalls 104 b and end walls 104 cextend continuously upwardly from bottom 104 a to form body 104.

Container Assembly

Lid 102 and body 104 of the present invention may form a box. The boxmay comprise wax on the inside for holding hot food. In otherembodiments, lid 102 and body 104 of the present invention may form acircular soup “to-go” container. In yet other embodiments, lid 102 andbody 104 of the present invention may comprise a transparent “to-go”container. Regardless of the type of container formed by lid 102 andbody 104, adhesive member 106 is preferably attached to lid 102 beforecontainer assembly 100 reaches the end user.

Example

The container of the container assembly 100 of the present invention isa “to-go” box with a waxy inside to hold hot food. An end user, i.e., ashopper at a grocery store, places a variety of hot food inside thecontainer assembly 100 of the present invention. Container assembly 100comprises adhesive member 106. The shopper may close the lid, but notseal it shut. When ready to check-out, another end user, a cashier,weighs container assembly 100, and the hot food container therein, inorder to determine how much the hot food costs. At this point, cashiermay seal lid 102 shut by removing the material covering the stickysurface, thereby exposing the sticky surface. The cashier may slightlypull adhesive member 106 so the exposed sticky surface attaches to body104, i.e., attaches flush to a side of body 104. The cashier does notneed to pull tape out of a tape dispenser and stick it onto thecontainer, as adhesive member 106 is already attached to lid 102 when itreaches shopper and cashier. In this manner, container assembly 100 issealed shut very easily and quickly. As such, contents of containerassembly 100 may not fall out during the shopper's ride home. Also, heatis contained within the container more effectively, as the seal istighter than simply folding the container shut or adding tape.Preferably, container assembly 100 of the present invention ismicrowave-safe (for quick re-heating). In this regard, the shopper maysimply microwave container assembly 100 and contents therein to re-heatthe contents that may have cooled down during the ride home. In yetother embodiments, container may not have a waxy inside. Additionally,the container need not be microwave-safe.

What is claimed:
 1. A container assembly compromising: a. a lidcomprising: i. a top lid surface and an opposing bottom lid surface; ii.an adhesive member attached to the top lid surface; wherein the adhesivemember comprises a top adhesive member surface and a bottom adhesivemember surface, wherein at least a portion of the bottom adhesive membersurface is attached to the lid, and at least a portion of the bottomadhesive member surface comprises a covered sticky surface; and b. abody attached to the lid.
 2. The container assembly of claim 1, whereinthe lid is removably attached to the body.
 3. The container assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the lid is fixedly attached to the body.
 4. Thecontainer assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a first portion ofbottom adhesive member surface comprises a sticky surface, and at leasta second portion of the bottom adhesive member surface is integrallyformed with the top lid surface.
 5. The container assembly of claim 1,wherein at least a first portion of bottom adhesive member surfacecomprises a sticky surface, and at least a second portion of the bottomadhesive member surface is attached to the top lid surface.
 6. Thecontainer assembly of claim 1, wherein the sticky surface of the bottomadhesive member extends outwardly from the top lid surface.
 7. Thecontainer assembly of claim 1, wherein the sticky surface is coveredwith a removable material.
 8. The container assembly of claim 1, whereinthe adhesive member comprises a length and a width; and wherein thelength is greater than the width.
 9. The container assembly of claim 8,wherein the adhesive member is attached to the lid in a length-wisefashion.
 10. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the adhesivemember is comprised of paper.
 11. A container assembly compromising: a.a lid comprising: i. a top lid surface and an opposing bottom lidsurface; ii. an adhesive member attached to the top lid surface; whereinthe adhesive member comprises a top adhesive member surface and a bottomadhesive member surface, wherein at least a portion of the bottomadhesive member surface is attached to the lid, and at least a portionof the bottom adhesive member surface comprises a covered stickysurface; and b. a body attached to the lid; wherein at least a firstportion of bottom adhesive member surface comprises a sticky surface,and at least a second portion of the bottom adhesive member surface isintegrally formed with the top lid surface; and wherein the stickysurface of the bottom adhesive member extends outwardly from the top lidsurface and is covered with a removable material.
 12. The containerassembly of claim 11, wherein the adhesive member comprises a length anda width; and wherein the length is greater than the width.
 13. Thecontainer assembly of claim 12, wherein the adhesive member is attachedto the lid in a length-wise fashion.
 14. The container assembly of claim11, wherein the adhesive member is comprised of paper.
 15. The containerassembly of claim 11, where the body comprises: a bottom; a pair ofsidewalls; a pair of end walls, the bottom, the pair of sidewalls andthe pair of end walls being integrally connected.
 16. The containerassembly of claim 11, wherein the lid is removably attached to the body.17. The container assembly of claim 11, wherein the lid is fixedlyattached to the body
 18. A container assembly compromising: c. a lidcomprising: iii. a top lid surface and an opposing bottom lid surface;iv. an adhesive member attached to the top lid surface; wherein theadhesive member comprises a top adhesive member surface and a bottomadhesive member surface, wherein at least a portion of the bottomadhesive member surface is attached to the lid, and at least a portionof the bottom adhesive member surface comprises a covered stickysurface; and d. a body attached to the lid, the body having a bottom, apair of sidewalls, and a pair of end walls, the bottom, the pair ofsidewalls and the pair of end walls being integrally connected; whereinat least a first portion of bottom adhesive member surface comprises asticky surface, and at least a second portion of the bottom adhesivemember surface is integrally formed with the top lid surface; andwherein the sticky surface of the bottom adhesive member extendsoutwardly from the top lid surface and is covered with a removablematerial; wherein the adhesive member comprises a length and a width;and wherein the length is greater than the width.
 19. The containerassembly of claim 18, wherein the adhesive member is attached to the lidin a length-wise fashion.
 20. The container assembly of claim 18,wherein the adhesive member is comprised of paper.